Prior known packet transmission systems and/or switching systems used packets including either a totally variable length information field wherein the packets were delimited by flags or a fixed length information field including a relatively large number of bits or bytes. The arrangements using flags to delimit the packets and, hence, the length of the packet information field require bit stuffing so that the information does not emulate the flags. Such systems are difficult, if not presently impossible, to implement for high bit rate transmission systems and/or switching systems. Indeed, any possible implementation would be extremely expensive and, therefore, undesirable from an economic standpoint.
Prior arrangements using the fixed length packets are undesirable because the entire packet must be transmitted whether or not only one bit or byte of information is being transmitted. Consequently, such systems are very inefficient and costly.